Bosch Taiwan, the local unit of German engineering and electronics company Bosch Group, is looking at robust business growth this year after achieving 23 percent growth last year, as demand for sensors used in smartphones and mobility solutions remains strong, managing director Bernd Barkey said yesterday.
Consolidated sales rose to NT$12.7 billion (US$424.44 million) last year in Taiwan, driven mainly by micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) sensors for the consumer electronics market, Barkey said.
“We expect to make another record-breaking year with the number looking pretty thus far,” Barkey told an annual media briefing in Taipei.
The company’s sensors have expanded in applications, from automobiles to smartphones, games, earphones, functional wear and smart homes.
Bosch Group is aiming for 2 to 3 percent sales growth globally this year, compared with a 6.8 percent increase to 78.1 billion euros (US$92.24 billion) last year, the company’s report showed.
The multinational corporation expects global GDP growth to expand a mild 2.6 percent this year while vulnerability builds up, it said.
In Taiwan, all business sectors made positive contributions last year, with outstanding results from the mobility solutions wing, Barkey said.
Sales of anti-lock braking systems (ABS) for two-wheelers and batteries for four-wheelers grew strongly, he added.
“We hope that all scooters in Taiwan will be equipped with ABS to help enhance riding safety in the next five to 10 years,” he said.
Bosch Taiwan is to benefit from the mandatory requirement that motorcycles and scooters larger than 150cc be equipped with ABS from next year.
Taiwan has the highest motorcycle density in the world.
In addition, Bosch is seeking to introduce automated valet parking and community-based parking solutions to Taiwan, where 70 percent of the population lives in cities and searching for a parking space is time-consuming and stressful, Barkey said.
Automated valet parking enables drivers to leave their vehicle at the entrance to the parking garage, send a command from their smartphone application and the car would drive into a free space and park there without any further assistance, he said.
The industrial technology business sector also performed well last year. Bosch Rexroth, a subsidiary of the Bosch Group, was successful with its linear motion products for semiconductor testing and storage applications, he said.
BSH Home appliances, part of the consumer goods sector, fared well, thanks to its expanded product portfolio, such as stand-alone refrigerators and the introduction of dishwashers in wholesale stores in Taiwan, he said.
Bosch Taiwan is also actively promoting the concept of connected manufacturing in the areas of industrial applications and academic organizations, he said.
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